Judging Others Based Upon our Preconceived Ideas
Judging others based upon what we may have heard about them is something that we must avoid at all costs. Living in this world without judging others becomes increasingly difficult if you’ve been wronged by a particular group of people.
[pullquote]Growing up in the south, my grandmother was witness to a lot of racial injustice. Her world was shaped a certain way when it came to her feelings about other races of people. [/pullquote]
“There are no good men”. How many of us have heard those words from a woman who has been hurt by a man. Yet, there are good men out there ready and willing to care and provide for a deserving woman. Looking at individual members of certain groups of people with an open mind is difficult but like everything else in our Christian walk, it’s not impossible.
We have the power of God residing within us to do that which the world would label impossible. To live a life free from judging others, we must first acknowledge our biases, discover how we obtained our biases, and then do whatever it takes to eliminate and/or disregard their source.
Growing up in the south, my grandmother was witness to a lot of racial injustice. Her world was shaped a certain way when it came to her feelings about other races of people. Having been affected by her environment, the experiences she shared with my brother and I came from a skewed vantage point. As a child having a “clean mental slate”, I adopted many of her viewpoints by default. I heard what she said and I took onboard her way of thinking about other people simply because I heard it from her. I had no experiential knowledge to back up the thoughts and ideas that I picked up from her.
In later years as an adult, I recognized that I had become a product of my environment in many ways just as she had. I had allowed my grandmother to imprint her thoughts, views, and opinions about other races of people on me which is simply wrong.
Regardless of how wrong judging others based upon second-hand influences is, that’s the world we live in. However, we profess to be Godly people. The Godly person will judge each person based upon his or her individual conduct, just as God does.
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).
Could it be that we are reluctant to share our sins with one another out of a fear of being judged? Suppose God looked at us and our sin with judgment in mind. Suppose He held the “I’ll forgive, but I won’t forget” mentality that some live by? I’m so glad He doesn’t! If He did, I would be doomed.
Judging Others is a Product of Ignorance
I encourage you to examine your thoughts about others. Are you quick at judging others when you find out some dirty little secret about them without knowing their whole story? What goes through your mind when you find out that the young lady in the choir who you thought so highly of has had an abortion? How do you feel when you find out your neighbor has done time in prison. Do you condemn before ever hearing what led to his incarceration? When it comes to light that someone you thought you knew was caught in an adulterous affair, do you abandon them and refuse to have anything to do with them?
How would you feel if you found out your small group member had taken someone’s life as a young adult? Do the thoughts “fat pig” or “why doesn’t she just stop eating” come to mind when you see a morbidly obese person without ever taking the time to find out what led the person to where they are in life now?
None of us have squeaky clean pasts. As the scripture says, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone”. Our responsibility as Christians is to love. Judging others is not our responsibility.
Examine your thoughts, and leave your judgments of others on God’s doorstep. Approach each person as an individual and allow your relationship to sink or swim based upon your dealings with him or her alone.
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